If any of the three (3) selected hot players (announced pre-game) score a goal during that night's game, fans can redeem their free GameNight program coupon(page 20) for 50% off their entree tomorrow, at all participating Moe's restaurants. If any of the three (3) selected hot players score a hat trick during that night's game, fans can also redeem their free GameNight program for a free burrito at all participating Moe's restaurants.

SUBWAY SCORE 3 OR MORE

If the Sabres score three (3) or more goals during tonight's game, fans can redeem their game ticket for a free 6" Subway sub with a purchase of 30oz. drink tomorrow only at participating Subway restaurants.

NEW ERA CAP TRICK

Each time a Sabres player scores a hat trick inside First Niagara Center, New Era will make a monetary donation to charity per cap thrown onto the ice. Any hats thrown onto the ice and not claimed will be donated as well.

NEW ERA SCORE MORE

For every goal scored by the Sabres at that night’s game, fans can save a dollar per goal on their purchase of any cap tomorrow at the New Era Buffalo Store when they show their ticket stub.

This is the 138th game all-time between Buffalo and Washington; Buffalo leads the series with an 81-40-16 record; 43-20-6 at home.

STORYLINES

For the second time in a month, the Sabres will meet the Capitals after having gone three straight games without a win. Other than these two stretches, the team has not gone three games without a win since the three games preceding Terry Pegula’s Feb. 22 purchase of the team. Buffalo has not gone winless in four straight since Oct. 26 to Nov. 5, 2010 (0-4-1) and hasn’t lose four in a row since Feb. 1 to Feb. 6, 2010 (0-4-0).

Buffalo and Washington have met on Dec. 26 twice since the lockout, with the Sabres dropping a 3-2 decision to the Capitals in 2008 and defeating the Capitals, 6-3, in 2006. The 6-3 win was the last time Buffalo won their first game after the holiday break.

Derek Roy leads all Sabres with 23 points (10+13) in 25 games against Washington, including points in each of his last six (1+6).

Buffalo has six players on IR and another two who sat out their last game with an injury. In all, 16 Sabres have missed at least one game with injury this season entering tonight's game. Buffalo’s total of 141 man games lost after 34 games is 63more than they had at that point last season, but their record (16-15-3) is better than last year’s (14-16-4).

Due to the injuries, the Sabres have recalled 10 players from the Rochester Americans this season. Seven of these players had no NHL experience prior to this season. Due to age restrictions (players 26 years of age or older cannot be considered rookies), Buffalo has dressed nine rookies this season, the highest total dressed by the team in a single season since 2006-07, when the team dressed 10. Buffalo dressed a franchise-record 12 rookies in the 1995-96 season.

Roy

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOWThomas Vanek has seven points in his last four games (3+4)… The Sabres are 11-2-3 when Derek Roy records a point…The Sabres tie Minnesota and Winnipeg for most skaters (30) and most players (33) dressed this season; both totals are the highest for the Sabres since they dressed exactly that many in the 2006-07 season.

POPULATING POMINVILLE
Sabres captain Jason Pominville leads the Sabres with 37 points (11+26). Pominville has recorded a point in 26 of Buffalo’s 34 games this season, only having gone two straight contests without a point one time. In December, Pominville has 11 points (2+9) in 10 games.

POINT PER GAME
Two Buffalo skaters have averaged more than a point per game dating back to last season: Thomas Vanek has scored 57 points (26+31) in his last 51 regular season games, dating back to Mar. 5. Jason Pominville has scored 47points (15+32) in his last 43 regular season games, dating back to Mar. 25, 2011 vs. FLA.

Vanek

DYNAMIC DUOThomas Vanek and Jason Pominville have recorded a point on the same goal 28 times this season, trailing only Daniel and Henrik Sedin (29) for most by any duo in the league. At least one of the two has recorded a point on 44 of the team’s 89 goals (49.4%).

A LONG DECEMBER
The Sabres play 14 games in December, tying November for second-most in a month this season. So far, they are 3-5-2. Buffalo’s five game home stand that ended last night tied the one that ran from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4 for the longest this season. Buffalo’s 52 December wins are the most the team has had in any month since the lockout. The Sabres are 52-31-10 (.613) in December in those years.

LINDY’S LONGEVITY
Since Lindy Ruff was named Buffalo's head coach on July 21, 1997, there have been 169 coaching changes in the NHL. After Tony LaRussa (MLB) announced his retirement on Oct. 31, Ruff became the second-longest tenured coach in the four major professional sports leagues. Only Gregg Popovich, who began coaching the San Antonio Spurs in 1996, has been head coach of his team longer. Ruff has 542 wins as head coach of the Sabres, second-most by a head coach with a single franchise, trailing only Al Arbour (740). Ruff has more wins than any other coach with his first NHL team.

Have an idea for a song that you want to hear at a Sabres game? Let us know what it is by sending us a tweet. Send us a message at @SabresDotCom with a hashtag of #SABRETUNES before 12:00 p.m. on a game day and we'll try to get it into the playlist for that night's game.